Unexpected Love

Chapter 15

Meredith walked briskly through the halls of Mount Sinai, scanning her patient chart for the day. Her next case was a young girl named Harper, here for a kidney stone removal. She moved into the exam room with her usual calm and professional demeanor, only to freeze when she saw who was standing beside Harper's bed.

There, just a few feet away, stood her ex-boyfriend, Fin Nelson, and his wife, Sarah. Fin looked almost the same as he had years ago: tall, with a calm, grounded presence. Sarah stood close by, offering her daughter comfort. They both glanced up as Meredith entered, and the shock in Fin's eyes mirrored her own.

"Meredith," Fin said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Meredith nodded, her expression guarded. "Mr. Nelson. Mrs. Nelson," she replied, her tone professional. She looked to Harper, who sat up in bed, smiling shyly.

"Hello, Harper," Meredith said, giving the young girl a warm smile. "I'm Dr. Grey, and I'll be helping you feel better."

As she spoke with Harper about the procedure, her mind raced back to the painful end of her relationship with Fin. They'd met when she was an intern in Seattle, and he was a veterinarian. They'd fallen into an easy, loving relationship, one that had felt steady and secure. For three years, they'd been together, and he'd even proposed. But her memories shifted quickly to the night she'd come home, excited to tell him about her first solo procedure, only to find him waiting for her, a devastated look in his eyes.

"Meredith, we need to talk," he had said, his voice hollow. She'd sat beside him, a smile still lingering on her face, only to have it drop when he admitted the truth: he'd been unfaithful. And worse, he'd gotten another woman pregnant. That night, she'd packed a bag, left the life they'd built, and sought solace with her parents. She hadn't seen or spoken to him since, but the pain had lingered like an old wound.

"Dr. Grey?"

Meredith snapped back to reality, focusing on Harper. She completed the exam with a calm, steady hand, then gave Fin and Sarah a quick rundown of what to expect during the procedure.

"Thank you, Dr. Grey," Sarah said, casting her a polite, if slightly uneasy, smile.

Meredith nodded, avoiding Fin's gaze. "Of course. I'll make sure Harper's comfortable."

As she walked out of the room, her heart pounded, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. The hospital halls had never felt so confining. Her phone buzzed with a message from Derek, asking to meet for coffee, but she ignored it. Today, she needed space, time to process.

All day, Meredith kept her head down, dodging Derek's messages and the occasional sighting of him in the hall. It wasn't until late afternoon, after her last surgery, that she finally found a moment to sit in her office and catch her breath. But just as she exhaled, Derek stepped inside, shutting the door softly behind him.

"Meredith, are you okay? You've been avoiding me all day," he said, concern evident in his voice.

She looked up, hesitating for a moment. Finally, she let out a long sigh. "I... ran into someone today. Someone from my past."

Derek moved closer, pulling up a chair beside her. "Who?"

"His name's Fin. We... dated. For three years. He was—he was the first person I thought I'd build a life with." She paused, searching for the right words. "I found out he cheated on me, that he'd gotten someone else pregnant."

Derek's expression softened as he reached for her hand. "I'm so sorry, Meredith. I can't imagine how that felt."

"It was... devastating," Meredith admitted, a small tremor in her voice. "I packed up and left that night, and I never saw him again. Until today. He's here with his daughter—my patient."

Derek pulled her into a gentle embrace, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. "You don't have to face this alone, Mer. You've come so far since then. And I'm here for you, every step of the way."

She leaned into his shoulder, letting the warmth of his words sink in. "Thank you, Derek. I think seeing him just brought up a lot. But having you here... it makes everything easier."

He held her close, his presence steadying her as she took a shaky breath. "You don't have to be strong all the time, Meredith," he whispered. "Let me carry some of that weight with you."

And for the first time that day, she felt the tension ease, her past losing its grip as she found solace in Derek's embrace.

................................................................................................................................................................

After hours in the OR, Meredith emerged, pulling off her mask with a deep breath. The surgery had gone smoothly, and Harper's recovery looked promising. She made her way to the waiting room, where Fin and Sarah sat side by side, eyes filled with worry.

"The surgery was a success," she announced, offering a reassuring smile. "Harper did great, and we were able to remove the kidney stones without any complications. She'll need some rest, but she should make a full recovery."

Relief washed over Sarah's face as she let out a breath she'd been holding, and Fin's shoulders relaxed visibly. "Thank you, Meredith," he said, his voice filled with gratitude.

Meredith nodded, keeping her tone professional. "I'll send my intern to take you both back to see her. She'll be waking up soon, and I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

With a quick nod, she turned on her heel and walked away, her heart feeling lighter with every step. She had braced herself for lingering emotions, but as she left them behind, she felt only peace. It was a closed chapter, and one she was finally ready to let go of.

Later that evening, Meredith returned to her apartment, finally able to unwind. She texted Derek, letting him know she'd just gotten home and was planning to have a quiet night in.

As she was about to settle in with a movie, there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Lexie standing there, holding a pizza box in one hand and a tub of ice cream in the other, her face lighting up with a grin.

"I come bearing reinforcements," Lexie announced, stepping inside.

Meredith laughed, feeling a wave of gratitude. "You're a lifesaver, Lex."

They settled in on the couch, diving into the pizza and ice cream as Meredith filled Lexie in on the day's events. She spoke about the surgery, her run-in with Fin, and the flood of memories that had come rushing back.

"You know," Meredith said, her voice thoughtful, "I was so sure that seeing him would bring up all this pain. But it didn't. I think... I'm really okay this time."

Lexie reached over, squeezing her sister's hand. "You've grown so much, Mer. It sounds like you've truly moved on."

Meredith nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, I think I have. And now, I can look back and be grateful for where it led me. It brought me here—to you, to this life I love."

They spent the rest of the night in easy conversation, occasionally pausing to lose themselves in the movie playing in the background. When the clock crept past midnight, they were still curled up on the couch, sharing laughter and memories as the city lights twinkled outside.

For Meredith, it was one of those rare, perfect nights where everything felt exactly as it should be. She had let go of the past, was surrounded by love, and felt genuinely at peace with where her life had taken her.